It may have been a shortened workweek for much of Canada, but that didn't mean there weren't plenty of stories to fill our news pages. For proof, have a look at our roundup, which will catch you up on all the week's top stories.
First off, late Friday (August 5), the Canadian music world got word that Alexisonfire are calling it a day. The Ontario outfit announced their demise on their website, ending their decade run as one of Canada's most loved post-hardcore champs. Exclaim! covered Alexisonfire extensively over the years -- we even put them on our cover -- and we're guessing fans will shed more than a few tears this weekend.
Then the Weakerthans' John K. Samson had a thing or two to say about the new Winnipeg Jets logo. As expressed in a new editorial, the much-loved songwriter (pictured) shared his concerns over the team swapping out the classic airliner motif of the original logo for a sleeker look based on the old Canadian Air Force emblem. Of course, not everyone agrees with Samson's views.
In a similar vein, Kevin Drew weighed in on the controversy surrounding Broken Social Scene's hyper-violent "Sweetest Kill" video. Again, not everyone sees eye to eye with Drew. And avant-popster John Maus stirred up his own controversy after he had some less than kind words to share about the sad state of the record store biz.
Also this week, we had Arcade Fire announcing a free Montreal show in honour of Pop Montreal's tenth anniversary, Feist revealing her album cover and a pile of Canadian tour dates, Chartattack announcing that it's "suspending operations," and She and Him letting us know they are working on a new holiday album.
Last but not least, it was a rough week for Kings of Leon, who cancelled their entire U.S. tour after frontman Caleb Followill had a bit of an onstage meltdown. And Cheap Trick axed their Vancouver show, citing concerns over stage safety following the recent Ottawa Bluesfest stage collapse.
First off, late Friday (August 5), the Canadian music world got word that Alexisonfire are calling it a day. The Ontario outfit announced their demise on their website, ending their decade run as one of Canada's most loved post-hardcore champs. Exclaim! covered Alexisonfire extensively over the years -- we even put them on our cover -- and we're guessing fans will shed more than a few tears this weekend.
Then the Weakerthans' John K. Samson had a thing or two to say about the new Winnipeg Jets logo. As expressed in a new editorial, the much-loved songwriter (pictured) shared his concerns over the team swapping out the classic airliner motif of the original logo for a sleeker look based on the old Canadian Air Force emblem. Of course, not everyone agrees with Samson's views.
In a similar vein, Kevin Drew weighed in on the controversy surrounding Broken Social Scene's hyper-violent "Sweetest Kill" video. Again, not everyone sees eye to eye with Drew. And avant-popster John Maus stirred up his own controversy after he had some less than kind words to share about the sad state of the record store biz.
Also this week, we had Arcade Fire announcing a free Montreal show in honour of Pop Montreal's tenth anniversary, Feist revealing her album cover and a pile of Canadian tour dates, Chartattack announcing that it's "suspending operations," and She and Him letting us know they are working on a new holiday album.
Last but not least, it was a rough week for Kings of Leon, who cancelled their entire U.S. tour after frontman Caleb Followill had a bit of an onstage meltdown. And Cheap Trick axed their Vancouver show, citing concerns over stage safety following the recent Ottawa Bluesfest stage collapse.
